Within easy walking distance from the Denver County Courthouse is Pint’s Pub, where The Docket spent a sultry summer evening escaping the summer heat. Fortunately, if you’re hoofing it from downtown, there are several shady trees to provide refuge during the 90-plus degree days.

The overall atmosphere at Pint’s is quaint, as in the English tradition, with some outdoor seating, as well as additional seating upstairs. British memorabilia adorns the inside with a traditional red phone booth, convenient hideaway television screens and what appeared to be a British pool table. The restrooms were clean, and offered a perky water closet contraption where you look up for the toilet flusher, which is actually a chain. The service was friendly and helpful, although the English accents were missing.

Perhaps the biggest attraction is the numerous bottles of whiskey hanging upside down from the bar, in rows of stadium seating, ready to pour at the first mention. Pint’s Pub has an incredible list of whiskeys, offering pages and pages of categorized whiskeys to choose from. The whiskeys vary in price, with the most expensive fetching $475 per glass (apparently it came from a limited edition reserve). Fortunately for members of The Docket Committee, many more of the whiskeys range in the $6–$15 range. The bar even offers Colorado’s own whiskey, Stranahan’s, which was given a thumb’s up, at least considering Colorado’s vast whiskey heritage.

Pint’s Pub also offers several homebrews made onsite, including the Gael Force Ale, which is akin to a Guinness; the Airedale Pale Ale; the Phonebox Amber Lager; and the Lancer India Pale Ale, which had a very strong, hoppy taste. If you’re looking for bottled beer or other draft beer, you’re out of luck, as Pint’s Pub beer selection is primarily comprised of its own microbrews.

The menu mimicked British fare, including the Ploughman’s Platter, a plate of meats and cheeses, a chunk of bread, and apparently apples, although somehow the apples never made it to our plate. To me, a somewhat unseasoned food critic, the Ploughman’s Platter looked like sandwich ingredients thrown on a plate for a "make your own sandwich."

In addition to the traditional options, there were a few "local" choices thrown in, including the Spitfire Wings and Chili Cheddar Chips. The spitfire wings were advertised as "Hot, but you’ll shoot ’em down." The Docket tasters, however, would describe them as "Mild, but meaty." Compared to other wings, these barely registered on the hotness meter, far from the "so hot you’ll involuntarily cry" standard. The Chili Cheddar Chips, were French fries smothered in Texas Chili, though the Britain-Texas connection is a bit unclear. Although tasty, a fork is recommended for those folks who like to stay neat.

A definite perk of happy hour, which runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., is the free, homemade potato "crisps" (not "chips," as our waiter was quick to point out). Light, crunchy, and only marginally unhealthy, these potato crisps almost make you think they satisfy your daily vegetable requirement. However, be sure to arrive early for the crisps, as they are made fresh daily, and once they are gone, they are gone. (We learned that the hard way.)

Pint’s Pub is located at 221 W. 13th Ave., by the Denver Art Museum. Additional information can be found at http://www.pintspub.com.